


Suck Together

by MinaAffairs



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:13:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24900616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinaAffairs/pseuds/MinaAffairs
Summary: Hordak was Prime's top general. That role is engineered into him.He hates it.Mostly an excuse to have Catra and Hordak be friends.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 110





	Suck Together

**Author's Note:**

> Hi I'm alive and also love post canon Hordak and Catra friendship.

Hordak pointedly slams the door as he moves over to a side room to catch his breath. It had been a mistake to agree to help the group of clones here. Group is an understatement, there's essentially a battalion here! He didn't want to do this, he shouldn't have agreed. Entrapta isn't even here with him.

He hears the door open behind him and it makes him growl "Leave me alone!" It comes out as nearly a yell as he spins around.

It is Catra slipping into the room. She doesn't listen to him, she never does. Instead she closes the door. "Hey." The once Force Captain looks up at him "You alright?"

Hordak blinks, the question honestly just makes him kind of angry "What do you think, Catra?" He hisses out.

"Think you're looking like crap. You always look like crap but it's worse right now." She offers him a little smirk. "Seeing the clones really gets to you huh?" 

"You could not understand." He dismisses her quickly. Turning around to return to leaning against the wall. 

"I think I'm the only one who can understand." She shoots back. "I was on that ship too. I was a... Sibling."

Hordak is quiet for a moment. She is wrong, she can't understand. Even with his and Catra's shared history she cannot understand this. Yet, she might be able to listen to it. He can tell her.

So he does. "I can hear them." It comes out as almost a whisper. Surprisingly weak.

There's a pause before Catra gives a small "...What?" She doesn't understand.

"My... Brothers..." He clutches his head and leans against a wall. "I am... I was a general... The shared mind of all of the clones? I am..." He sighs "I was a relay for Prime's will within it." He finally says. Then he looks back at Catra. "Prime is gone, but I can still feel their minds. I can still push my will to those below me. I can... Hear their confusion and their fear and their hopes." He can feel himself beginning to hyperventilate.

Suddenly Catra steps forward. "Hey. Hordak. It's okay." She suddenly has concern in her voice. "Damn... I didn't even... We can sneak you out." She says.

Hordak blinks and looks up "Adora requested that I help with thi-"

"I'll handle Adora and Sparkles and everyone else." She says "I'll make them get it. Don't worry about that, let's just get you out so you can think." 

For a moment relief washes over Hordak. His friend reaching out her metaphorical and literal hand to help him grants the former warlord that little bit to hold on to. It is something to keep himself steady with. "Thank you, Catra."

"Yeah don't mention it" she says flippantly as she starts to lead him out. Hordak can already guess that she is likely working out exactly how to sneak them out.

...

After a daring escape that largely relied on being flippant to anyone who looked at them Catra gets to watch as Hordak collapses onto the grass outside of Bright Moon. She walks over and sits down beside him "You shoulda said, you dunce." 

He glances over at her "What?"

"The whole Mind reading or whatever. You should have said. Just a 'Hey everyone I'd really rather not be involved in this because their thoughts flood my mind and I can tell them to kill themselves and they would and that makes me uncomfortable.'" she pauses. That might have been a bit much, and a bit presumptuous. "Or you know... Something."

Hordak is silent for an extended moment, and Catra briefly worries she might have been a little too heavy there. Then suddenly "I used to be proud of it."

Catra looks over properly now, watching him stare off at nothing. She doesn't say anything. She doesn't need to, she knows this look.

"I was proud to be one of his generals. To be above my brothers. I am not proud anymore." He looks down at the ground now and Catra can't help but do the same. She was proud once too. Then Hordak continues "Most of your Princesses would see my relation to the other clones as... Useful. I am in such a powerful position to help them, after all. I do want to, of course, but..."

"But you have to use abilities you're not proud of anymore." Catra finishes.

"Yes. I would prefer…" the pause is heavy. "To not be what he made me to be."

"Does Entrapta know?" Catra asks. "About the... Clone General thing."

Hordak nods. "Yes. She knows everything about my physiology."

"And she knows you're not a fan of this aspect."

"Yes. She is understanding of it." He looks up now. "You all do not give her enough credit. She is a very understanding woman."

"Yeah yeah you love her I get it." Catra snarks and elbows him slightly. "Want to make up an excuse for why you can't be part of this stuff, at least not super often?" Catra then asks.

He looks down at her again, "what?"

"If Entrapta knows it'll be easy. Don't even really have to lie. We can say like... You have specific capabilities or something right? And without Prime being around too many other clones can put a lot of stress on your body." She offers. "Not technically a lie right? And Entrapta can probably just nod in agreement with it and everyone will have to accept it."

Hordak stares for a moment. Catra can see him churning it through. The poor man is so bad at lying, always has been. Finally he audibly hmms. "That could work."

"Yeah it will." She smirks. "Trust me if there's one thing I know how to do it's how to manipulate a situation to my benefit by telling half truths." Catra boasts. Then blinks and frowns.

"That was perhaps a tad... On the nose as Etherians say." Hordak notes 

"Yeah I uh. Don't really like what I just said." Catra agrees. She is momentarily struck with the intense knowledge that she and Hordak both suck. At least they can suck as friends now though.


End file.
